MalaysianGP: Marc Marquez Goes All In for 37 Points "It's time to take the risk,"
"It's time to take the risk," says the championship leader after topping both sessions despite a crash. But he won't judge whether injured rival Jorge Martin is risking too much, six years after his own failed comeback at Jerez.
Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) has made it clear that he's finished playing it safe. On Friday, 30 October 2026, he topped both sessions on the opening day of the Petronas Grand Prix of Malaysia at the Petronas Sepang International Circuit. Afterwards, the championship leader said the title is now in his own hands. He'll try to take as close as possible to the 37 points available this weekend: 12 for winning Saturday's Tissot Sprint and 25 for winning Sunday's Grand Prix.
The reigning World Champion led the afternoon Practice session with a 1'57.000, set on lap 13 of 18. He was 0.109s clear of his brother Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP), who won at Sepang last year, for a Ducati 1-2. Ai Ogura (SuperFile Trackhouse MotoGP Team) was third, 0.167s back. Earlier in the session, the #93 had tucked the front at Turn 15 and slid through the gravel. Conditions were punishing, with an air temperature of 34°C, a track temperature of 49°C and 61% humidity.
Sepang hasn't always been a happy hunting ground for Marquez, and he admitted he never knows what kind of weekend he'll have there. "As I said yesterday, some years I'm feeling well from the beginning, some years I'm struggling from the beginning, and then all the weekend is more difficult," he said. "But today, from the out lap, the feeling was good, also with the medium rear tyre. And in the afternoon, apart from the small crash at Turn 15, that is where I'm taking more risk, the rest was perfect."
The state of the track was one of Friday's big talking points. The asphalt broke up during the day's running, and Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) compared it to a motocross track. Asked whether this was the worst he had seen Sepang, Marquez was more relaxed. "I don't feel a big difference compared to the test, honestly speaking," he said, referring to the pre-season test at the circuit. "It's time to resurface, as we said last year already, but it's not worse than at the test."
Marquez has clearly been attacking more in recent weeks, and he was blunt when asked why. "Because it's time to do it," he said. He said his physical condition is "a bit better" after two operations in the past 13 months. However, he explained that his calmer approach earlier in the year had been deliberate. "When you don't feel good in your physical condition in the middle of the season, then it's easier to have a big crash, like I had in the first part of the season. I had a big crash in Austin, a crash in Jerez, a big crash in Le Mans. So it was time to be calm," he said. "And now, from Indonesia, I decided, because it was on my calendar, that if I arrived there, I would put everything in. It's time to take the risk."
That change was clear at Phillip Island last Saturday. He and Martin swapped the lead again and again in the Sprint until the Aprilia rider crashed out at Turn 8. Marquez's win turned a two-point deficit into a 10-point lead heading into Sepang, round 19 of 22. Asked whether this was the weekend to grab maximum points while his rival is hurt, he kept the focus on himself. "I'm in a position in the championship that is in my hands, so I try to be as close as possible to 37 points," he said. "We see that also here Ducati is working well with Alex and Diggia too. So, yeah, let's see." A perfect weekend could change a lot. If Martin fails to score and Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) doesn't close much ground, Marquez could arrive in Qatar next week with his first chance to clinch the title.
Even so, he warned against reading too much into Friday's timesheets. "But we are on Friday," he said. He pointed to Assen and Mandalika as rounds this year where the order looked clear on Friday, only for things to change over the weekend. "So we need to be calm." The signs point both ways. Bezzecchi was almost half a second slower than Marquez in both sessions, and the #93 didn't even use a second fresh set of tyres at the end of Practice. However, yellow flags in the final minutes disrupted most of the riders chasing him, which may have made the gap look bigger than it is.
Martin's Friday was far harder. The 2024 World Champion fractured his right radius in the Phillip Island crash. Further scans in Melbourne ruled out a second fracture to the ulna and showed the radius was non-displaced, so he didn't need to fly back to Spain for surgery. He was declared fit after completing 12 laps in FP1, where his best lap was 1.8s slower than Marquez's. In the afternoon, though, he had a scare at Turn 12 on a push lap, pitted after just three laps and didn't return. He finished the session 21st with a 1'59.670, 2.670s off the pace. He'll ride in FP2 on Saturday morning to see how he feels, and if he continues, he'll have to go through Q1. An injury like his normally takes four to five weeks to heal. "Jorge has a fracture. It's not displaced, but he has not to crash on it another time," Aprilia's Paolo Bonora said on Thursday.
One reporter suggested Martin's situation was a lot like Marquez's in 2020. That year, Marquez broke his right humerus in the season-opening Spanish GP at Jerez. He had surgery and tried to return a week later at the second Jerez round. The comeback backfired: he made the injury worse, missed the rest of the season and needed three more operations over the following years. Asked whether Martin is taking too big a risk, Marquez wouldn't judge. "I will not evaluate, because I don't know exactly what he has," he said. He added that he didn't know whether the radius was completely broken or only cracked, so he didn't want to comment on it. "But I believe in the medical protocol, that if they say that he's fit, the pain is there, but the risk is acceptable. But of course, the pain must be there. Martin is a strong guy, but today he struggled."
MotoGP tightened its rules on declaring injured riders fit after Marquez's injury at Jerez. On Thursday, he said that "with the new protocols we have after my injury at Jerez, if they declare him fit, it means that he's able to ride". He also refused to write off his rival, warning that "adrenaline is the best painkiller".
Marquez was also asked about the aero at the rear of his Desmosedici GP26. He said Ducati has been switching it on and off and that it changes the bike's character a little. "When you put things on the rear, it's to load the rear more, as we know," he said. "Some positives, some negatives."
Going all in brings clear rewards and clear risks for Marquez. With Martin injured, the Ducati fast and the title in his own hands, attacking makes sense, and a big haul at Sepang would pile pressure on his rivals before Qatar. However, the Turn 15 crash showed how small his margin for error is, and the breaking-up surface and a poor weather forecast add to the danger. One mistake could cost him far more than he stands to gain. Marquez goes straight into Q2 on Saturday, 31 October 2026, ahead of the Tissot Sprint. Martin will test his wrist in FP2 before a likely Q1 battle, and the Grand Prix follows on Sunday, 1 November 2026.
Credit Photo : MotoGP